Materia Medica Malaysiana

Panel: Conduct raids to get blood samples from illegals

PENANG: The health authorities want blood samples to be taken from illegal immigrants following the death of a 68-year-old woman from malaria.
State Health, Welfare and Caring Society Committee chairman P.K. Subbaiyah said blood samples from illegal immigrants had to be taken to ascertain if they were carriers of the deadly disease.
Foreigners working legally in Malaysia are required to undergo mandatory medical tests for screening of various diseases.
Subbaiyah said this was the first recorded case of a malaria death in the state this year.
He said state health authorities have asked the police and the Immigration Department to conduct raids on illegals in order to get blood samples to curb a possible malaria outbreak.
“We found that a substantial number of Myanmar and Bangladeshi workers are staying in the Bukit Gambir area, where a local Chinese woman died of malaria on Jan 30.
“The health authorities have taken blood samples from more than 30 foreigners, who are working at a construction site near the woman’s house,'' he added.